Author: dmitriy.vasyura@gmail.com

Pep Guardiola has paid tribute to his Manchester City players’ mentality, specifically their refusal to relax after winning a fourth Premier League title in a row.

The 53-year-old’s contract expires at the end of this season and neither he nor the club have given any indication as to whether he will renew it.

Man City manager Guardiola, who has extended the three-year deal he signed when first arriving in 2016 on three occasions, said in the summer he would wait until this season had started to see “how connected” he was with his players.

When this was put to him before Saturday’s home Premier League game against Southampton, Guardiola said: “I’m happy, a lot.

“I’m impressed. I never thought when I arrived here (in 2016), a ninth season and still we have this amount of consistency in our game.

“We’re still creating more than the opponent and concede less than the opponent, so this balance is so good.

“I could not be more thankful to these players for what we are trying to do and the way we are doing it.

“I never had doubt about that. I said a month ago, I see them in training sessions every day and still they are alive, they feel it.

“They enjoy to come here, train and play the games. Everyone wants to be involved.

“A few teams as well, not just here in England, but in Europe, are having a lot of injuries, everywhere.

“We are just 15 players or 14 players, plus Rico (Lewis) from the academy and OK, we are in difficulty, we have a lack of players to rotate, to give rest, so we have to take care more – and still they do it.”

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Guardiola’s future will also be decided by other factors. He has said he will consider his wife and family, while the departure of City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain at the end of this season could also sway his decision.

But Guardiola allayed any fears that his relationship with his players was in danger of growing tired.

“They have an incredible mentality,” he added. “Most of them are so strong, so competitive.

“There’s a tendency to relax, I always have this concern when we win again. What is going to happen? A drop after you win. But I don’t see it.

“I don’t see it winning or losing, performing well or bad. I don’t see this factor of dropping.

“Everyone pushes each other. They push me and push my staff with ideas, with new things. If I don’t like it, they accept it well because it’s for the team.

“They accept well the compliments and the compliments from the media and the criticism from the media.

“They forget immediately, win or lose. They’re on to the next, what’s next? They’re true competitors.

“We have a group of players with a great mentality, I’m not talking about the skills, mentality. They are really, really good.”

City, chasing a record-extending fifth straight Premier League title under Guardiola, are the only unbeaten side after eight matches and sit a point behind Liverpool in second place.

Guardiola’s side will go top with victory against winless Southampton at the Etihad Stadium and will remain there if Liverpool drop points at Arsenal on Sunday.

Why are we all talking about injuries? Well, because it’s Arsenal. Also: the Champions League jeopardy myth is debunked and Arsene Wenger is ‘bitter’.

Send your views to theeditor@football365.com

Injuries only relevant now it’s Arsenal
When is an injury list a crisis and when should the club just “man up” and handle it, not use it as excuses?

Apparently the line is “when it’s Liverpool or Arsenal”, then it’s a crisis and mitigation. I see a lovely article on this esteemed site, getting the excuses in early on behalf of Arteta on a short number of injuries. One of which isn’t even an injury but the result of a self-inflicted absence.

How many times has this site insisted that the United, Spurs and Newcastle injury list last year wasn’t an excuse for failure? Actually, even within that there were clear differences, because Eddie Howe was “delivering in spite of” that injury list, while Ten Hag was given no such credit.

Of the list, only Saka and Odegaard are serious contenders. That’s two players. Two, and a couple of back-ups (who may even actually play?!). Influential, for sure, but not more so than, say, your entire first choice back line for pretty much the entire season, and six back ups, plus our striker, his back up and a new midfielder.

Why is it, I wonder, that mini-Pep gets such different treatment on this site.
Badwolf (Btw, Chelsea were second last year in the injury table, but didn’t get a mention)

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Ten Hag is one lucky sod
So after a decent win, showing a bit of character, does the manager stick with the plan and use the couple of days before a Europa League trip to double down on what is needed from his team, or does he tear up the script and spend those precious days trying to instil a new plan with players in unnatural positions?

Over to you EtH … you’re the man for the moment for sure.

And here we are, the guy STILL keeps his job.

Man, he must be the luckiest guy … I wish I could get him to pick my Lotto numbers.
ET King (MUFC)

Champions League jeopardy?
I’m struggling to understand the “no jeopardy in the Champions League new format” stance.

Take Liverpool, they have won all 3 games so far, in the old format they would now have enough points considered to be enough to progress and would have 2 home games, against teams already beaten, to possibly secure top spot. They have played teams who finished 4th in the Bundesliga and 2nd and 5th in Serie A.

They now face the current holders and Champions of Spain, the Champions of Germany, a team that went unbeaten in the Bundesliga and the Champions of Holland all with defeat a possibility, whilst on paper the two other games seem “easier”, one is against the team who have already beaten the defending champions and won away against Atleti!

Compare this to 2022/23, they were drawn against the team that finished 3rd in Serie A, the champions of Holland and the second best team in Scotland. Two of these equate to two teams this year but one is vastly inferior to all the others (apologies but a 7-1 win would support this) and they got to play these teams twice. Progression to the last sixteen would appear to have less jeopardy than this season. Despite winning 5 of 6 group games they were placed 2nd on head-to-head results and thus played a group winners with the second leg away from home.

Unsure of the exact format but I’m guessing that finishing in the top 8 gives you exactly the same benefits as winning the group, i.e. a second leg home game in the last 16, however finishing in the top 8 would seem to be more difficult. Finishing 9-24 adds yet another 2 games, meaning an additional 4 games have to be navigated to reach the same stage as being group runners up.

Under the old format, 4 straight wins in the group stage would give the possible option of being able to rotate/rest players, you probably need 6 in the new format.
Maybe I’m missing something but if they only pick up 1 or 2 points from the next 3 games, then progression becomes much more difficult, even 3 puts things in the balance depending on other results.
Howard ( ’bout time we beat Madrid) Jones

True Champions League/Old Sayings
In this mornings Mailbox Oliver, London suggests changing to a “true Champions League – 24 teams, 23 games each”. Surely a true league format requires equal home & away games to be fair so this would require a reduction in the number of teams, which would never happen. If you went with an ‘every team plays the others once, who would decide which are home or away, and which teams would get the extra home game?

On a totally unrelated subject Paul mentions an old saying “if only my mother had knickers” which t have never heard before. Is this the same as ‘if my auntie had bollocks she’d be my uncle’? BTW, I wouldn’t recommend searching for this at work or if you share a device with a partner!
A, LFC, Montreal

UEFA and the unintended consequences
People don’t like the new CL format, last season they didn’t like the old format. People don’t like the Nations League, preciously they didn’t like meaningless friendlies. Sorry, got that wrong, football supporters of big teams and big countries don’t like them (what do they like?), for the majority who are from the smaller nations they are a welcome way of getting a slice of the pie, and in Georgia’s case at this years Euros brightening the whole place up.

Last night I went up to Belfast to see the first all Ireland league game in Europe between Larne and Shamrock Rovers. The winner got €400k (Rovers outclassed Larne who to be fair are much further back on their development curve), to put into context how much that is, Rovers got €125k for winning the LOI last season. This is a massive boost for smaller clubs and leagues, see TNS. There can be conversations about potential imbalances this causes in the local league but would prefer that than the going bust conversation that league clubs have. So spread the cash, nobody cares about the CL until the knockouts regardless of the format, and never mind the big boy whingers.

Mel – Dublin, Berlin, Athlone Town
(Rovers fans gave great support except for the numpties signing IRA chants. If you are ever in Dublin and someone tells you their Da was in the Dublin brigade, it means c*****e is nearby)

Wenger sounding bitter
So Wenger is saying Chelsea came in and bought whoever they wanted which is true il give him that. But his comment “they bought my players” is a bloody stretch, outside of Ashley Cole I cannot think of another example of Chelsea buying anyone of note off Wenger, with the exception of Giroud and Arsenal wanted rid of him to accomodate Aubameyang.

It would be more fair to say that he bought players off us, such as Gallas, Lasana Diarra, Cech, and Benayoun. And Arsenal continued to buy our players after they binned Wenger, they came for David Luiz, Willian, Jorginho, Havertz, and Sterling.

Wenger wasn’t complaining when he was the one able to sign whoever he wanted before Roman and his millions turned up.
Aaron CFC Ireland.

I’ve been reading the Mailbox for a lot of years now but have to say this morning’s one is now my all-time favourite – checking in to see my own mail defending Villa, with my fellow Villa fans out in force too – and then the Joe Gomez album drop from nowhere. A meisterwerk indeed.

Have a great weekend everyone,
David Horgan, Dublin

…Truly sorry to hear about Hesh LFC’s mum.

For what it is worth, not one of my published mails down the years has been anything other than an attempt satire. Perhaps I should leave family matters out of it.

Sorry for any offence.
Finlay 🙁

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onouha thinks Pep Guardiola will leave the club next summer and will have a role in picking his replacement.

Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of this season and neither he nor the club have given any indication as to whether he will renew it.

“I don’t expect him to stay, I’d love for him to stay though,” Onouha said.

“He’s been remarkable but he can’t do the job forever. He’ll want to leave the club in a good place for the long term where he’ll be helping pick the successor.

“He’ll know who he thinks is best to work in the environment that is needed at City to be successful going forward. He knows it better than anybody else. So I wouldn’t necessarily think that he’s going to go out in a way where it’s just about him getting what he wants.

“He’s selfless enough given the fact that his identities all over the football club, to know what it needs to continue to be successful, because for as much as he’s a man from Catalonia you know he’s a Barca boy through and through, he’s also half blue Mancunian now.

“So I think he’ll try and find the best way to exit while also allowing the club to continue to strive.

“When he first came in people said you can’t play tiki-taka football here, it’s not going to work, and in the years that he’s been there he hasn’t played that type of football. He’s evolved himself and the Premier League’s evolved, and you can even make a case that English football has evolved due to his presence.

“If he does decide to leave to go and do something else, myself and probably hundreds of thousands of others would carry him on our shoulders because he’s been amazing, he’s given us some of the best times of our lives you could say supporting Manchester City.”

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Onouha also discussed John Stones, tipping the England defender to cement himself as a club legend.

He said: “He’s been incredible, but interestingly he went through a spell where he wasn’t doing as well around 2020 where maybe he was going to be leaving, but then in came Ruben Dias, and out came the very best of John Stones.

“There have been times when he’s had fitness issues but then he ends up being a revelation in the most significant season in the club’s history when they win the treble, stepping into midfield, and not just being a defender in midfield, but being an excellent midfielder out of nowhere.

“The composure that he has and that desire to win, he’s been there for so long and this is a game in October against Wolves but after he scores look at what it means to him.

“He’s been an incredible buy and he’s one of many that City have had. Some of those buys are incredible because they’ve stayed for so long, they’ve been a part of it for so long.

“When you find clubs whereby the player turnover isn’t massive every single year and when you think what do they need, you don’t need four, five, six, seven players, you’re very rarely doing a rebuild, it’s just little bits here and there that help the team and help the squad out.

“I think he’s been amazing, I am delighted that he’s still at City, and he feels like someone that represents what City is, and I think that will probably continue to be the case for a long time.”

Arsenal legend David Seaman says he is “nervy” for the Gunners’ Premier League clash against title rivals Liverpool but is optimistic Bukayo Saka will be available.

Mikel Arteta’s men host the Reds on Sunday after an unconvincing 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

Liverpool made it three wins out of three in Europe after overcoming a tricky trip to RB Leipzig.

Arsenal have several injury issues going into Sunday’s fixture, while William Saliba is suspended after his straight red card against Bournemouth last week.

Ex-Gunners goalkeeper Seaman is not feeling confident but thinks his former side have a chance if Bukayo Saka is fit.

“I’m a little bit nervy, if I’m honest, because we’re not going to be at our strongest, depending on Saka,” Seaman said.

“Although when I was in last Thursday at Arsenal, coaching with the young goalies, I saw Bukayo with his boots on and I was like, ‘Ah, good sign’. Not trainers or anything like that. He was going off to do some one-to-one rehab, so that was a good sign. Hopefully it’s not too bad.

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“The only indication they’ve got that’s definite is that Saliba’s out with his suspension.

“It’s going to be tough, but these are the games you want. These tell you how good you are, or how good you’re going to be in the season.

“I think [Riccardo] Califiori is probably going to centre-half, left side, and then I don’t know what the situation is with [Jurrien] Timber. That’s a natural position for him to go in at left-back.

“[Jakub] Kiwior made the mistake for the second goal, and he’s been like that, where sometimes he has great games and then he makes a little mistake.

“But I’m not that worried because we’ve got good strength on the bench. It doesn’t matter, it’s about getting a result. That’s what we need to do. Grinding out results when you’re not playing your best.”

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Meanwhile, Arsenal fan and presenter Laura Woods has claimed Arne Slot’s side are “Manchester City’s closest challengers” for the Premier League title.

“I watched Liverpool in Europe on Wednesday, and while they didn’t blow RB Leipzig away, it was a good game for Darwin Nunez’s confidence,” she said. “Scoring a goal and proving a handful throughout the match, they need him to be at his best against Arsenal if he replaces Diogo Jota again.

“Liverpool look organised, less chaotic and more controlled under Arne Slot. He has a brilliant team too and their defence is once again immense. I think it’ll be the defence that would carry them to a title.

“Jurgen Klopp left them in a really good place with some very promising youngsters coming through and a few experienced old heads that know how to see out the league.

“I absolutely afforded them a season of transition, but I’ve been so impressed, I think they’re Manchester City’s closest challengers now.”

Woods added: “I think it’s a bigger game for Arsenal. If they lose they’ll risk losing touch with the title race. Yes, even this early on!

“Liverpool haven’t lost in eight games and this is still a very tough fixture at the Emirates. The pressure isn’t mounting in the same way as it is for Arsenal.”

Woods believes Arsenal are shooting themselves in the foot with their disciplinary problems after Saliba became the third Gunner to be sent off in a Premier League match this season after Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard.

“I do worry for Arsenal, with injuries and suspensions. No Ricardo Calafiori, no Martin Odegaard, no Jurien Timber and no William Saliba,” she said. “I tell you what, it’s pretty infuriating being an Arsenal fan at the moment!

“What’s even more infuriating is feeling like a broken record and mentioning that the next day Tosin Adarabioyo only got booked for a foul just like Saliba’s on Diogo Jota.

“Yes, we Arsenal fans moan, but we should also all be wanting to see consistency in the league with decisions like this because next week it’ll be your team.

“Taking a bit of responsibility, though, Arsenal need to stop getting themselves into these situations. We’re literally leaking points and throwing away games. We don’t look the part at all!”

Man City have reportedly rejected a request from Man Utd for Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo to join their stars on the club’s chartered flight to Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Man Utd pair Mainoo and Garnacho are nominated for the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the best player in the world aged under 21.

The current holder of the trophy is Jude Bellingham, who left Borussia Dortmund for Real Madrid last summer.

Mainoo and Garnacho had superb individual seasons despite the Old Trafford club’s notable struggles.

The Red Devils did win the FA Cup with a shock victory over Man City in the final but recorded their worst finish in Premier League history and finished bottom of a Champions League group including FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray.

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Both players join Man City summer signing Savinho on the nominee list and are expected to attend Monday’s ceremony in Paris.

Pep Guardiola’s side have four men’s players – Rodri, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias and Savinho – up for awards, while women’s players Yui Hasegawa, Lauren Hemp and Khadija Shaw are also in the running.

Unfortunately for Man Utd, their rivals’ numbers means Mainoo and Garnacho are unable to hop on the flight.

Man City reject unusual Ballon d’Or request from Man Utd

According to the Daily Mail, Erik ten Hag’s side ‘asked’ Man City if there is room for the duo, only for the request to be ‘politely declined’.

This is part of cost-cutting plans put in place by new ownership group INEOS, led by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who believe ‘the prospect of sending two players on a private jet was not deemed to be a good look in the current climate’.

This is an unusual request but one that is ultimately hard to argue with.

There was ‘no room’ on City’s private jet and Man Utd have been forced to arrange an ‘alternative’ method of travel to the French capital.

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Despite a superb year for Rodri, who won Euro 2024 with Spain and another Premier League title with City, he is not expected to win the Ballon d’Or on Monday.

Instead, the coveted award will reportedly land in the hands of Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, who scored a timely midweek hat-trick against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Vinicius also scored against the German side in the final of the competition in June, helping Los Blancos win their 15th European title.

He scored six goals in the Champions League last season and represented Brazil at Copa America in the summer.

Brazil finished second in their group behind eventual finalists Colombia and were eliminated in the first knockout round, losing on penalties to Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay.

Gary Neville thinks Sunday’s clash against Liverpool is “the best time” for Arsenal to win and show their Premier League title credentials.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is without William Saliba through suspension and Martin Odegaard due to an ankle injury, while Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are all doubtful.

Saka trained on Friday but it is unclear if he will be fit enough to feature at the Emirates.

The winger limped off during England’s 1-0 defeat to Greece earlier this month and has not played since.

Liverpool have their own injury worries, with first-choice goalkeeper Alisson and Diogo Jota both unavailable this weekend.

While that is not ideal, the pre-match focus has been all about the unavailability of several key players for Arsenal.

Arteta has Benjamin White and Gabriel Magalhaes fit and ready but it is anyone’s guess who will join them in defence.

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Calafiori and Timber have both played left-back this season and White is capable of slotting in at centre-back if needed.

Jakub Kiwior came off the bench to replace Raheem Sterling following Saliba’s red card at Bournemouth but had a difficult time in right-centre-back, with his underhit backpass to David Raya ultimately leading to the Spanish goalkeeper conceding a penalty for a foul on Evanilson.

It was a day to forget for the Gunners and while they bounced back with a midweek victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, their performance was far from convincing.

Their potential absences is actually a reason why Sunday’s title clash against Liverpool is more of a must-win game, according to Manchester United legend Neville.

Neville argues that Arsenal can prove a point by beating Arne Slot’s side without several key names, while noting that it would show they have the right mentality to become Premier League champions.

“They can’t let the noise get into their heads,” Neville said before Nottingham Forest’s victory at Leicester City. “They have to really think about going out there on Sunday and winning

“Can Arsenal afford to see Liverpool seven points clear at 6:30 on Sunday evening? They just can’t.

“That’s not because they can’t get that back over the season, but we’re talking about a team that are trying to make that final step to win the league, and I think if you’ve got three or four players missing this would be the best time for them to go win on Sunday, and the best time to go and shock everybody.

“It would be not a surprise, Arsenal winning but because of the players that are out, there is something building that Liverpool are favourites.

“Go and shock us, go and do something, go and play and basically get within one point of Liverpool, and all of a sudden things change again. That to me is where I think the game is for Arsenal.”

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Liverpool legend John Barnes does not think Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta needs to win more trophies to be considered a success.

Arteta led Arsenal to an FA Cup after less than a year at the club but is without a trophy since.

Regardless, the Gunners are a completely different side now to when the Spaniard took charge in December 2019.

He has transformed them into title challengers and came incredibly close to winning the Premier League in 2023/24 after a second-place finish the year prior.

The lack of silverware is not an issue, according to Barnes, who used Erik ten Hag’s – who is second in the Premier League sack race – two domestic honours at Manchester United to emphasise why it isn’t the be all and end all.

“Well, if football is all about winning trophies, then Ten Hag has been better than Mikel Arteta, but is that statement true? Of course, it isn’t,” Barnes said.

“Erik Ten Hag hasn’t done a better job at Manchester United than Mikel Arteta has at Arsenal because he’s won a League and FA Cup. Management success is not just about silverware.

“Liverpool’s best season under Jurgen Klopp was when we finished second in the league on 100 points to Man City, we lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid, but it was our best season.

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“It’s not about silverware, it’s about winning every single week. Being a team that consistently challenges for the biggest prizes. If you get 100 points losing two matches and someone else wins the league, you’ve had a great season.

“You can win silverware by winning the FA Cup because you’ve played Coventry in the semi-final, you can win the League Cup by playing nobody. Is it successful for a club like Manchester United, with its resources to win the FA Cup and finish eighth? It’s that success? Success is winning football matches, and you can’t ask any more than that from Arteta.”

Barnes adds that Kai Havertz is good enough to lead the line for Arsenal, who do not need to spend big money on a striker who guarantees you 20 goals a season.

He said: “If I’m not mistaken, were Arsenal the top goal scorers last year? They were indeed, so why does Kai Havertz need to score more goals for Arsenal this season? Arsenal scored more goals than any other team last season.

“For Arsenal to challenge for the title, it’s not about one individual scoring goals, it’s about the way the team plays.

“I remember at Liverpool when [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mane were scoring goals and [Roberto] Firmino was chipping in, and we had scored so many goals. Then the problem was that Fabinho, [Jordan] Henderson and [James] Milner didn’t score enough.

“What would happen if they scored more goals? Mo Salah and Mane would score less.

“If Havertz scores more goals, Arsenal will probably score less, but he’ll have more as an individual. A title challenge can never be boiled down to the impact of one player, it’s always about the team.

“At this moment in time, Arsenal don’t need Havertz to score more goals. Arsenal proved last season that they didn’t need a 20-goal-a-season striker, because they play a brand of football where the goals get shared.”

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Barnes also praised Bukayo Saka, who would not have the same impact at a different club.

“Bukayo Saka has been fantastic for Arsenal,” he said. “They’ve given him a chance to showcase his talent in his best position and he has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent players for several seasons now.

“If he joined another club, I don’t think he would do as well because he would be playing a different style of football. Sometimes players suit clubs.

“Players like Jordan Henderson, Mane, Firmino, when they left Liverpool and joined new clubs, they struggled. They suited the Liverpool brand of football and Saka is the same for Arsenal.

“In terms of what Arsenal want, he’s perfect. And for Arsenal to be able to win the Premier League, or when they play well in the Champions League, they need Saka to produce for them because he’s one of their most important players.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Saka. He’s a brilliant player. Arsenal play the type of football that suits him down to the ground.”

Former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson is not confident Trent Alexander-Arnold will ignore interest from Real Madrid to stay at Liverpool.

Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are all out of contract next summer and can negotiate a pre-contract with foreign clubs from January 1.

It is a worrying state of affairs at Anfield, with the Liverpool hierarchy very relaxed about the future of (arguably, but not really) their three best players.

Reds right-back Alexander-Arnold is reportedly a top target for Real Madrid, who have made some high-profile free transfer signings in recent years, including Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger.

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Unsurprisingly, the European champions are not the only club interested in signing the world-class Englishman for nothing, though a move to Madrid feels the only realistic outcome if he decides to leave Liverpool.

Liverpool: Ex-England man ‘hearing noises’ about Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid

A lot has been said about the 26-year-old’s future and Robinson is “hearing” some “rumours” that are “worrying” for Arne Slot’s side.

“I genuinely couldn’t see it (Trent leaving) with the relationship that he’s got with the club,” Robinson told Football Insider.

“You know, he’s one of their own if you want for a better phrase.

“Such an integral part of the club, to be linked so heavily away at the moment, the stories that are coming out.

“We’ve heard stories that Konate’s in discussions for a new deal at Liverpool, Van Dijk discussing a new deal.

“Trent’s situation, fairly quiet, other than other clubs becoming more interested in him, which from a Liverpool point of view is worrying.

“Because the rumours aren’t going away, are they? They’re building up and that’s what I’m hearing as well from my sources.

“All the noises that you hear about Trent at the moment that’s Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and the amount of European giants lining up to sign him.

“The list seems to be getting bigger so in answer to your initial question, yeah slightly less confident than I was before (that he would stay).”

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Liverpool made it three wins out of three in the Champions League on Wednesday night, defeating RB Leipzig 1-0 in Germany.

Up next for the Reds is Arsenal away from home in the Premier League.

The Gunners are without several injured players and William Saliba, who is suspended after receiving a red card against Bournemouth last week.

Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey thinks Slot will be able to exploit Arsenal without their star defender.

“Playing against Arsenal without William Saliba in their defence will be a huge positive for Liverpool,” Heskey said. “Everyone’s been talking about the partnership with him and Gabriel, and rightly so as they’ve been fantastic. But, with one gone, what will that look like?

“Liverpool will attack the game more and go into the match with more aggression knowing Saliba won’t be there, and Arsenal might feel slightly less comfortable without him on the pitch. Michael Owen was that kind of player for us, having him on the pitch made us all feel better and more confident.

“If Liverpool come away with a win and increase their gap to Arsenal by seven points, it’ll be huge. It would put a serious dent in Arsenal’s title hopes and put pressure on them in the dressing room and the camaraderie.

“It’ll be a challenge for Mikel Arteta if that happens because it’s a real challenge for the manager, you need to pick them back up again. Psychologically it’d be a massive advantage for Liverpool.”

Gabby Agbonlahor has told Arsenal that Gabriel Jesus is currently a “big problem” due to his lack of production, and the forward “needs to step up” amid injuries to other big players.

Jesus is into his third season as a Gunners player and did not perform badly in his first two campaigns. Indeed, the Brazilian has 19 goals and 15 assists in 79 games since moving to the club.

However, none of those have come this season, and Agbonlahor feels that’s a problem for Arsenal, particularly with other big-name players sidelined.

“I think they’ve got a big problem with Gabriel Jesus. His form, he hasn’t scored or assisted in 10 appearances this season,” Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT.

“When he first signed, he got 11 goals and seven assists in his first season in 2022/23. Last season, in 36 games he got eight goals and eight assists, which isn’t bad.

“But this season, zero goals and zero assists. You know, when players are injured and not available, they’re starting [Raheem] Sterling in front of him and started other players in front of him. [In the Champions League] he wasn’t great again, taken off for Sterling before 70 minutes.

“They need Gabriel Jesus up to form, especially with your little injuries to [Martin] Odegaard and to [Bukayo] Saka, he needs to step up.”

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Indeed, Odegaard has been out since early September, missing eight games for the Gunners, and he may not return before the November international break.

Saka has missed two games, and manager Mikel Arteta was unsure if he’d be able to return for Arsenal’s next. With both men out, the club needs contributions from elsewhere, and Jesus, having not failed to surpass 15 goal contributions in either of his first two seasons, needs to get back to that level.

Arsenal lost 2-0 without both the aforementioned stars against Bournemouth, and contributions from other players could have prevented that embarrassing defeat.

READ MORE: Neville explains why Liverpool clash is ‘best time’ for Arsenal to win: ‘Go and shock us’

Arsenal are reportedly ‘readying a move’ to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic next summer, as they feel he is a ‘Harry Kane sort of player’ who will ‘guarantee goals’ for the side.

The Gunners were linked with a move for Vlahovic in January 2022, when he left Fiorentina for Juventus. Reports of their interest have remained bubbling since then, and are hotting up now.

Of late, it has been suggested he is their priority striker target, and now it seems they are prepared to pull the trigger.

Football Insider reports that Arsenal are ‘readying a move’ to sign Vlahovic in the summer of 2025. It was reiterated that he is their top target amid ‘concerns’ about their goal record.

The report states the north London outfit feel Vlahovic is a ‘Harry Kane type player’ who will ‘guarantee goals’ for Mikel Arteta’s side.

It follows reports a cut-priced deal could be on the cards, with the Juventus man out of contract at the end of next season, and his contract potentially not being extended, meaning he could be open to a move.

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Kane comparisons will excite the Gunners, as they would surely have liked to have had the former Tottenham man lining up for them, rather than their rivals, after he came through Arsenal’s academy but moved across north London.

Kane bagged 213 Premier League goals – the second most ever – before moving to Bayern Munich.

Vlahovic has reached 100 club goals to this point in his career, and at just 24, he has a lot of time ahead of him to continue banging them in for whichever club he represents.

At the moment, Arsenal are hopeful that is them, with the Serbian taking over from Kai Havertz up top if he moves to the Emirates soon.

READ MORE: Arsenal warned of ‘big problem’ player who ‘needs to step up’ amid troubling period